OOIR: Observatory of International Research

Papers

(The TQCC of Sports Medicine is 20. The table below lists those papers that are above that threshold based on CrossRef citation counts [max. 250 papers]. The publications cover those that have been published in the past four years, i.e., from 2022-08-01 to 2026-08-01.)

Article	Citations
Response to Comment on “Effects of Oral Iron Supplementation on Blood Iron Status in Athletes: A Systematic Review, Meta-analysis and Meta-regression of Randomized Controlled Trials”	282
Comment on: “Return to Sports: A Risky Business? A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis of Risk Factors for Graft Rupture Following ACL Reconstruction”	211
Effects of Bed Rest on Physical Performance in Athletes: A Systematic and Narrative Review	163
Is Visual Reliance Increased in Athletes After ACL Injury? A Scoping Review	133
Dietary Recommendations for Body Mass and Composition Manipulation in Male and Female Athletes: a Scoping Review of Consensus Statements, Position Stands and Practice Guidelines from International Exp	120
Comment on “Optimizing Post‑Activation Performance Enhancement in Athletic Tasks: A Systematic Review with Meta‑analysis for Prescription Variables and Research Methods”	120
Impact of an Overload Period on Heart Rate Variability, Sleep Quality, Motivation, and Performance in High-level Swimmers: Use of Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) to Assess Training Load Vari	118
The Time Course of Injury Risk After Return-to-Play in Professional Football (Soccer)	111
Mitochondria as Nutritional Targets to Maintain Muscle Health and Physical Function During Ageing	110
Quantifying Exposure and Intra-Individual Reliability of High-Speed and Sprint Running During Sided-Games Training in Soccer Players: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis	106
Force and Power Testing During Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Rehabilitation: A World-Wide Survey of Current Practices	102
Causal Association Between Sedentary Behaviors and Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Mendelian Randomization Studies	97
Advancing Aerobic Exercise Training Intensity Prescription in Health and Disease Beyond Standard Recommendations: A Call to Action	95
Sex Differences in Recovery Trajectories of Assessments for Sport-Related Concussion Among NCAA Athletes: A CARE Consortium Study	94
Dose–Response Modelling of Resistance Exercise Across Outcome Domains in Strength and Conditioning: A Meta-analysis	94
Effect of Strength Training Programs in Middle- and Long-Distance Runners’ Economy at Different Running Speeds: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis	88
Exercise and Pain in Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, and Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis	86
Bidirectional Relationship Between Mental Health and Sports Injury in Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis	84
Sports Nutrition Ingredients and Governance, Exercise Training, and Sport Technology	83
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work: Who Should Be Managing Athletes on Matters Related to Sleep?	83
Response to Comment on: “The Effect of Preterm Birth on Maximal Aerobic Exercise Capacity and Lung Function in Healthy Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis”	75
Long-Term Effects of a 5-Year Randomized Controlled Exercise Trial on Brain Volumes and Cognitive Function in Older Adults: A 4-Year Post-Intervention Follow-Up Study	73
Safety of International Professional Sports Competitions During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Association Football Experience	73
Response to Comment on “Premature Death in Bodybuilders: What Do We Know?”	73
Instrumented Mouthguards in Women’s Rugby League: Quantifying the Incidence and Probability of Head Acceleration Events at Group and Individual Levels	73

Inertial Head Accelerations in Front-On, One-on-One Tackles in Professional Women Rugby League Players	71
ACTN3 c.1729C>T Polymorphism Might Not Be a Standalone Factor in Non-contact Musculoskeletal Injury: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis	70
Iron Status, Muscle Oxygenation and Performance in Female Athletes During Repeated-Sprint Training in Hypoxia	69
Correction to: Attributes of Expert Anticipation Should Inform the Design of Virtual Reality Simulators to Accelerate Learning and Transfer of Skill	68
Sprint Running Coordination: A Dynamical Systems Perspective	67
Correction to: Comment on “Black Box Prediction Methods in Sports Medicine Deserve a Red Card for Reckless Practice: A Change of Tactics is Needed to Advance Athlete Care”	67
Optimizing Athlete Travel for Performance: A Scientific Blueprint for Athletes, Coaches, and Sports Medicine Staff	67
Correction to: Using Free-Living Heart Rate Data as an Objective Method to Assess Physical Activity: A Scoping Review and Recommendations by the INTERLIVE-Network Targeting Consumer Wearables	67
The Acute Demands of Repeated-Sprint Training on Physiological, Neuromuscular, Perceptual and Performance Outcomes in Team Sport Athletes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis	65
Hop to It! A Systematic Review and Longitudinal Meta-analysis of Hop Performance After ACL Reconstruction	65
Dietary FODMAP Manipulation for Exercise-Associated Gastrointestinal Symptoms: Why Symptom Severity Should Guide Our Approach	64
Task Specificity of Dynamic Resistance Training and Its Transferability to Non-trained Isometric Muscle Strength: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis	63
Mechanisms Linking Physical Activity with Psychiatric Symptoms Across the Lifespan: A Systematic Review	63
Hypoxia Conditioning for Load-Compromised Athletes: A Narrative Review Exploring Potential Applications in Injury and Disability Management	63
The Era of Resistance Training as a Primary Form of Physical Activity for Physical Fitness and Health in Youth Has Come	62
Return to Play and Performance After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in Soccer Players: A Systematic Review of Recent Evidence	62
Comparative Efficacy and Acceptability of Non-surgical Treatments with or without Exercise for Diastasis Recti Abdominis in Postpartum Women: A Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials	62
From Tissue to System: What Constitutes an Appropriate Response to Loading?	60
Response to Comment on “The Effectiveness of Resisted Sled Training (RST) for Sprint Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis”	59
Data Informing Governing Body Resistance-Training Guidelines Exhibit Sex Bias: An Audit-Based Review	59
Comment on: “Low Cardiorespiratory Fitness Post‐COVID‐19: A Narrative Review”	58
Return to Sports: A Risky Business? A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis of Risk Factors for Graft Rupture Following ACL Reconstruction	57
Correction to: Impact of Exercise Training Interventions on Flow-Mediated Dilation in Adults: An Umbrella Review	57
What are the Risks of Contact Sport During Pregnancy: a Survey-Based Investigation	57
Running Endurance in Women Compared to Men: Retrospective Analysis of Matched Real-World Big Data	57
Ground Reaction Force and Centre of Pressure During the Golf Swing and Associations with Clubhead Speed and Skill Level: A Systematic Review	57
Appraising the Methodological Quality of Sports Injury Video Analysis Studies: The QA-SIVAS Scale	54
Relationship between Cognitive Demands and Biomechanical Indicators Associated with Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury: A Systematic Review	54
How Priming Exercise Affects Oxygen Uptake Kinetics: From Underpinning Mechanisms to Endurance Performance	53
Carbohydrate Nutrition and Skill Performance in Soccer	53
Judgement and Decision Making in Clinical and Return-to-Sports Decision Making: A Narrative Review	53
The Welsh Institute of Performance Science: A Decade of Integrated Knowledge Translation in Elite Sport	52
Performance Implications of Force-Vector-Specific Resistance and Plyometric Training: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis	52
Optimizing Post-activation Performance Enhancement in Athletic Tasks: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis for Prescription Variables and Research Methods	52
Retraction Note: The Effect of Preterm Birth on Maximal Aerobic Exercise Capacity and Lung Function in Healthy Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis	50
Authors’ Reply to Carina Enea et al.’s Comment on “Menstrual Cycle: The Importance of Both the Phases and the Transitions Between Phases on Training and Performance”	50
Long-Term Development of Training Characteristics and Performance-Determining Factors in Elite/International and World-Class Endurance Athletes: A Scoping Review	50
Comment on “Caffeine and Sports Performance: The Conflict Between Caffeine Intake to Enhance Performance and Avoiding Caffeine to Ensure Sleep Quality”	49
The Effect of Diet and Dietary Supplements on Iron Status of Active Females: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Interventional Trials	49
Response to Comment on “Caffeine and Sports Performance: The Conflict between Caffeine Intake to Enhance Performance and Avoiding Caffeine to Ensure Sleep Quality”	49
Ecological Dynamics as an Accurate and Parsimonious Contributor to Applied Practice: A Critical Appraisal	49
Symptoms of Traumatic Encephalopathy Syndrome are Common in Community-Dwelling Adults	49
Work Demands, Responses, and Coping Strategies for Staff in High-Performance Sport: A Scoping Review	48
The Association Between Menstrual Cycle Phase, Menstrual Irregularities, Contraceptive Use and Musculoskeletal Injury Among Female Athletes: A Scoping Review	48
Head Acceleration Event Magnitude and Incidence Rate in Academy Rugby Union: A Comparison Across Club and International Competition	47
Injury Incidence Rate According to Mechanism, Body Location, and Type in Basketball Players: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis	46
Contraception Choice for Female Endurance Athletes: What’s Sport Got to Do With It? A Cross-Sectional Survey	46
Biological and Race Strategy Characteristics Investigated in Elite Endurance Track Running: A Systematic Review	46
Optimising the Dose of Static Stretching to Improve Flexibility: A Systematic Review, Meta-analysis and Multivariate Meta-regression	45
Estimating the Replicability of Sports and Exercise Science Research	45

2025 Update to the Female Athlete Triad Coalition Consensus Statement Part 1: State of the Science and Introduction of a New Adolescent Model	45
Efficacy of Interval Training in Improving Body Composition and Adiposity in Apparently Healthy Adults: An Umbrella Review with Meta-Analysis	45
Muscle Oximetry in Sports Science: An Updated Systematic Review	44
Why We Must Stop Assuming and Estimating Menstrual Cycle Phases in Laboratory and Field-Based Sport Related Research	43
Performance Adaptations to Intensified Training in Top-Level Football	42
Comment on: “Low Cardiorespiratory Fitness Post‐COVID‐19: A Narrative Review”	42
Prevalence and Risk Factors for Musculoskeletal Pain when Running During Pregnancy: A Survey of 3102 Women	42
Intensity Zones and Intensity Thresholds Used to Quantify External Load in Competitive Basketball: A Systematic Review	42
The Use of Golf Carts as On-Course Transportation During Competitive Golf Events: A Scoping Review	42
The Frequency and Determinants of Positive and Negative Officiating Interactions and the Relationships with Mental Ill-Health Symptoms in Sports Officials	40
Sleep Management and Performance in Offshore Sailing Regattas: A Systematic Review	40
Maternal and Fetal Cardiovascular Responses to Acute High-Intensity Interval and Moderate-Intensity Continuous Training Exercise During Pregnancy: A Randomized Crossover Trial	39
NAD+ Therapeutics and Skeletal Muscle Adaptation to Exercise in Humans	38
Burnout Syndrome in Sport-Related Jobs: A Meta-analysis of Recent Evidence	38
Female Tendons are from Venus and Male Tendons are from Mars, But Does it Matter for Tendon Health?	38
From Natural Towards Representative Decision Making in Sports: A Framework for Decision Making in Virtual and Augmented Environments	38
Proposal of a Selection Protocol for Replication of Studies in Sports and Exercise Science	38
Accuracy of Resting Metabolic Rate Prediction Equations in Athletes: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis	38
Gender-Based Violence is a Blind Spot for Sports and Exercise Medicine Professionals	38
On a Corresponsive Sport Science	38
Consideration of Mental Health and Well-Being in High-Level Sport: When Will a Coach-Centred Approach Be Introduced?	37
Revisiting the ‘Whys’ and ‘Hows’ of the Warm-Up: Are We Asking the Right Questions?	37
Technology Innovation and Guardrails in Elite Sport: The Future is Now	37
Exogenous Ketone Supplements in Athletic Contexts: Past, Present, and Future	36
The Question is Still Open: Is Supplemental Oxygen Enhancing Performance in Professional Athletes at High Altitude or Not?	36
Dietary Nitrate Supplementation and Exercise Performance: An Umbrella Review of 20 Published Systematic Reviews with Meta-analyses	36
Correction to: Aerobic Exercise Preconditioning Does Not Augment Muscle Hypertrophy During Subsequent Resistance Exercise Training in Healthy Older Adults	35
“Health is Just the Basic Requirement for Optimal Performance and Winning”: Stakeholders’ Perceptions on Testing and Training in Competitive Alpine Skiing, Snowboarding and Freestyle Skiing	35
Factors Associated with Persisting Post-Concussion Symptoms Among Collegiate Athletes and Military Cadets: Findings from the NCAA-DoD CARE Consortium	35
Authors’ Reply to Nevill and Wyon: “Size Exponents for Scaling Maximal Oxygen Uptake in Over 6500 Humans: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis”	35
The ESA Parastronaut Feasibility Project: Investigating the Need and Contents of Physical Performance Tests for an Inclusive European Astronaut Corps	35
Response to Comment on: “Cardiac Fatigue in Male Athletes with Exercise-Induced Pulmonary Impairments After a Very Long-Distance Triathlon”	35
Urinary Incontinence in Women Athletes: Umbrella Review and Meta-analysis of Sport-Related Factors	35
Static Stretch Training versus Foam Rolling Training Effects on Range of Motion: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis	34
When to Pull the Trigger: Conceptual Considerations for Approximating Head Acceleration Events Using Instrumented Mouthguards	34
A Machine Learning Model for Post-Concussion Musculoskeletal Injury Risk in Collegiate Athletes	34
Epidemiological Principles in Claims of Causality: An Enquiry into Repetitive Head Impacts (RHI) and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)	34
Characteristics of High-Intensity Interval Training Influence Anthropometrics, Glycemic Control, and Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Ran	34
Exploring the Dose–Response Relationship Between Estimated Resistance Training Proximity to Failure, Strength Gain, and Muscle Hypertrophy: A Series of Meta-Regressions	34
Effects of Different Exercise Interventions on Cardiorespiratory Fitness, as Measured by Peak Oxygen Consumption in Patients with Coronary Heart Disease: An Overview of Systematic Reviews	33
The Within-Subject Association of Physical Behavior and Affective Well-Being in Everyday Life: A Systematic Literature Review	33
From Public Health to Player Health: Introducing the Disability-Adjusted Sporting Year (DASY) Metric for Measuring Injury and Illness Burden in Sport	33
Comment on “Black Box Prediction Methods in Sports Medicine Deserve a Red Card for Reckless Practice: A Change of Tactics is Needed to Advance Athlete Care”	33
Limited Evidence is Not No Evidence: A Rebuttal to Fransen, 2024	32
Impact of Exercise Training Interventions on Flow-Mediated Dilation in Adults: An Umbrella Review	32
The Effect of Gut-Training and Feeding-Challenge on Markers of Gastrointestinal Status in Response to Endurance Exercise: A Systematic Literature Review	32
Psychological Safety for Mental Health in Elite Sport: A Theoretically Informed Model	32
Influence of Resistance Training Proximity-to-Failure on Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis	31
The Effectiveness of Dance Interventions on Psychological and Cognitive Health Outcomes Compared with Other Forms of Physical Activity: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis	31
The Respiratory Compensation Point: Mechanisms and Relation to the Maximal Metabolic Steady State	31
Periodizing Exercise Medicine Prescription for Patients with Cancer: A Narrative Opinion	30
Comment on “The Practical Value of Bayesian Inference in Describing the Epidemiology of Sports Injuries”	30
Clarifying the Application of HIIT in Oncology Settings: a Response to “High-Intensity Interval Training for Cancer Patients: Taking Training Progression, Feasibility, and Patient Preferences into Acc	30
Investigating the Effect of Return-to-Play Timing After Injury on Performance: Does the Analysis Answer the Research Objective?	30
The Acute and Chronic Effects of Implementing Velocity Loss Thresholds During Resistance Training: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Critical Evaluation of the Literature	30
Correction to: The Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale has a Good Test–Retest Reliability in Well-Trained Athletes With and Without Previously Self-Identified Gastrointestinal Complaints	30
Influence of Preterm Birth and Low Birthweight on Physical Fitness: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Meta-Regression	30
Does Swimming Exercise Impair Bone Health? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Comparing the Evidence in Humans and Rodent Models	29
Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Potential Sleeping Giant of Sport Performance and Health?	29
Estimating the Effect of Aerobic Exercise Training on Novel Lipid Biomarkers: A Systematic Review and Multivariate Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials	28
Situations Leading to Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury in Sports: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis	27
Effects of Wearing a Mask During Exercise on Physiological and Psychological Outcomes in Healthy Individuals: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis	27
High-Intensity Interval Training and Cardiometabolic Health in the General Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials	27
The Effects of Pre-conditioning on Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis	27
Methods to Assess Energy Expenditure of Resistance Exercise: A Systematic Scoping Review	27
Polygenic Score Identifies Athletes at Increased Risk for Slower Recovery After Sport-Related Concussion: A Concussion Assessment, Research, and Education (CARE) Consortium Study	27
Brain Neuroplasticity Related to Lateral Ankle Ligamentous Injuries: A Systematic Review	27
Factors Influencing Consultant Knee Surgeons’ Decision Making in Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Injury Management in Athletes: An International Delphi Study	27
Do Exercise-Based Prevention Programs Reduce Injury in Endurance Runners? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis	27
AI-Driven Analysis of Cardiopulmonary Exercise Tests to Identify Gas Exchange and Ventilatory Thresholds	27
The Relationship Between Length and Active Force for Submaximal Skeletal Muscle Contractions: a Review	26
Quantifying the Extent to Which Junior Performance Predicts Senior Performance in Olympic Sports: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis	26
Evaluating the Impact of Urolithin A Supplementation on Running Performance, Recovery, and Mitochondrial Biomarkers in Highly Trained Male Distance Runners	26
Isometric Exercise Training and Arterial Hypertension: An Updated Review	26
Delaying Tackling in Youth Contact Sports: Moving toward a Safer Future or Softening the Game?	26
Response to Comment on: “Within Session Exercise Sequencing During Programming for Complex Training: Historical Perspectives, Terminology, and Training Considerations”	26
Epidemiology of Injury in Elite and Amateur Soccer Referees: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis	25
Correction: Benchmarking the Physical Performance Qualities in Women’s Football: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Across the Performance Scale	25
Greatest of All Time: Development of a Ranking System to Determine the Most Successful Olympic and World Championship Runners Since 1896	25
‘Athletes’, ‘Talents’, and ‘Players’: Conceptual Distinctions and Considerations for Researchers and Practitioners	25

Association Between the c.34C > T (rs17602729) Polymorphism of the AMPD1 Gene and the Status of Endurance and Power Athletes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis	25
The Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale has a Good Test–Retest Reliability in Well-Trained Athletes With and Without Previously Self-Identified Gastrointestinal Complaints	25
Synthetic Data for Sharing and Exploration in High-Performance Sport: Considerations for Application	24
Developing a Fundamental Theoretical Definition for Athletic Injury: Metaphysics, Logic, and Mathematics	24
The Influence of Nutrition Intervention on the P1NP and CTX-1 Response to an Acute Exercise Bout: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis	24
Anaerobic and Aerobic Energy System Contribution During Maximal Exercise: A Systematic Review	24
Physical Fitness Surveillance and Monitoring Systems Inventory for Children and Adolescents: A Scoping Review with a Global Perspective	24
A Narrative Review of the High-Carbohydrate Fueling Revolution (≥ 100 g/h) in the Professional Peloton	24
Challenges and Solutions to Supporting Physical Literacy within Youth Sport	24
An Overarching Conceptual Framework for Menstrual Health in Sport Research: Theory, Causality and Validation	23
“An Informed Risk Assessment”: A Qualitative Exploration of Elite Climbers’ Experiences During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period	23
Impact of Collagen Peptide Supplementation in Combination with Long-Term Physical Training on Strength, Musculotendinous Remodeling, Functional Recovery, and Body Composition in Healthy Adults: A Syst	23
Sex Differences in the Incidence of Sudden Cardiac Arrest/Death in Competitive Athletes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis	23
Correlations Between the Metabolic Costs of Level and Graded Running: A Secondary Analysis of the Literature	23
Comment on: “Effects of Oral Iron Supplementation on Blood Iron Status in Athletes: A Systematic Review, Meta-analysis and Meta-regression of Randomized Controlled Trials”	23
Sports Metaresearch: An Emerging Discipline of Sport Science and Medicine	23
To Climb or Not to Climb: A Cross-Sectional Investigation of Risks and Benefits During Pregnancy and Postpartum	23
Reliable Change of Blood-Based Biomarkers Following Acute Sport-Related Concussion: A CARE Consortium Study	22
Nutrition for Tactical Athletes: Insights, Applications and Research Gaps	22
Associations Between Instrumented Mouthguard-Measured Head Acceleration Events and Post-Match Biomarkers of Astroglial and Axonal Injury in Male Amateur Australian Football Players	22
From Growth to Greatness: A Leading Article on the Professionalisation, Health and Performance Challenges in Women’s Football	22
Psychological Interventions to Improve Elite Athlete Mental Wellbeing: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis	22
Age of First Exposure Does Not Relate to Post-Career Health in Former Professional American-Style Football Players	22
From Evidence to Application: An Operational Extension of Existing Sports Injury Frameworks for Sports Medicine Practitioners	21
Women at Altitude: Sex-Related Physiological Responses to Exercise in Hypoxia	21
Towards High-Accuracy Athletic Injury Predictions Using a First-Principles Modelling Approach: Theory to (Future) Practice	21
Fibre: The Forgotten Carbohydrate in Sports Nutrition Recommendations	21
Effects of Exercise on DNA Methylation: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials	21
Physical Activity and Cognitive Performance in Early Childhood: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials	21
Comment on “The Effect of Preterm Birth on Maximal Aerobic Exercise Capacity and Lung Function in Healthy Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis”	20
A Response to Appelbaum et al. “Limited Evidence is NOT No Evidence: A Rebuttal to Fransen, 2024”	20
Caffeine Use in Sport: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Acute Side Effects and Implications for Athlete Health and Safety	20
Effects of Complex Training Versus Ballistic Training on Physical Fitness Abilities of Athletes and Healthy Individuals: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis	20
Assessing Head Acceleration Events in Female Community Rugby Union Players: A Cohort Study Using Instrumented Mouthguards	20
Effects of Psychological Interventions to Enhance Athletic Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis	20
Accelerating Visual Anticipation in Sport Through Temporal Occlusion Training: A Meta-Analysis	20